


Cat's Got His Tongue

by disco_agidyne



Category: Persona 4, Persona 5, Persona Series
Genre: Alternate Universe, Catboy Akira, M/M, Wildcardshipping, self-indulgent nonsense, soukira
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-01-06
Updated: 2018-12-26
Packaged: 2019-03-01 08:20:03
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,890
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13290870
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/disco_agidyne/pseuds/disco_agidyne
Summary: Taking his friend's advice, Yu visits an after hours "cafe" where the wait staff is composed of a cast of attractive cat people. His designated host, Akira, with his playful antics and mischievous grins, wastes no time capturing Yu's attention.At the cost of his paycheck and a bit of his pride, Yu becomes Akira's regular customer.





	1. The First Meeting

Yu wasn’t quite sure how his life had come to this.

Late twenties and still single; for some reason everyone pitied him for it. A friend referred him to this place, telling him to at least indulge himself if he wasn’t going to settle any time soon. Despite the bad taste the conversation had left in Yu’s mouth, he’d still wandered in, paid the entrance fee, and designated a preferred host, all the while feeling a little hot under the collar, a little paranoid someone might have followed him or that word of his visit might spread.

But he’d been led to a private table without any of the embarrassing fanfare he’d been so worried about, and soon the man he’d designated sat at his side. A cute man at that, dressed head to toe in lace and frills, wearing glasses a little too big for his face.

“I’ll be serving you today,” he said, leaning in, already mere inches from Yu’s face. He had cat ears twitching between black curls and a matching tail lazily swatting against the small of Yu’s back. Yu’s eyes kept flicking to the man’s ears every time they moved. Yu found himself distracted by thoughts about whether the ears and tail were animatronic.

A hand rested on Yu’s thigh.

“Hey,” said the man. His name was Akira, according to his name tag. “Won’t you pay attention to me?”

Good advice, Yu supposed, considering how much it’d cost to get into this place. He hadn’t quite expected the working cast of cat people to be so realistic, though it certainly explained the cover charge.

“Y-yeah,” Yu said, hand hovering awkwardly over Akira’s shoulder. “Sure.”

A small laugh made Akira crack a smile, and the hand slid away and back into Akira’s own lap.

“You’re new to this, aren’t you?”

“A little,” Yu admitted, rubbing his neck and looking away in an attempt not to stare at the chest window on Akira’s maid attire.

The bell on Akira’s neck chimed as his leaned in close again. “Master,” he whispered into Yu’s ear, turning it and the rest of Yu’s face bright red. Akira gently took Yu by the chin and guided his face back around. “There’s nothing to be ashamed of here.”

Yu’s eyes gave Akira a once over, from the perky cat ears to the way the top of Akira’s stockings squeezed his thighs, and Yu found himself in firm, hot disagreement.

“You can touch, if you want,” Akira urged him with a smirk as his finger traced Yu’s jawline. “That’s what you paid for, after all.”

“Uh...” Yu couldn’t keep his eyes on one spot. There was so much to take in, and so much he felt he probably shouldn’t take in, and with the way Akira had then bent himself over to invade Yu’s space, short skirt surely exposing things, Yu was increasingly thankful for the curtain that separated their table from the rest of the establishment. “Are... are you sure?”

“You think I’d be working here if I wasn’t?”

“Point,” Yu conceded. “You, uh... you get a lot of guy patrons?”

Akira eased off, making himself comfortable at Yu’s side again.

“You’d be surprised.”

Yu gave a nervous chuckle. “So you’re used to this?”

“More or less.” Akira shrugged. He leaned against Yu’s shoulder and picked up the menu from the table. “Did you want anything, Master?” He paused and looked up to Yu with a smirk. “Or am I enough?”

“Is that a trick question?”

Akira laughed and pushed the menu into Yu’s hands. Yu accepted it, though with a wary look to Akira before looking at it. Akira’s tail was softly thwapping against his back again, and with Akira’s head pressed against his shoulder, he could feel every tick and twitch of his host’s ears.

“It’s really okay to touch you?”

“Of course.” Akira nodded against Yu. “What’s the point of a cat cafe where you can’t pet the cats?”

Yu wanted to argue that this wasn’t exactly a cat cafe, at least, not beyond its name, but he kept that to himself as he wrapped an arm around Akira’s waist and scanned the menu. The menu had a playful design with photos of the food adorned with ribbons and silhouettes of cat boys and cat girls in cute poses.

“I’d suggest some alcohol, Master,” Akira murmured into Yu’s arm. “You’re awfully tense.”

Yu glanced at Akira, knowing he was right. He loosened his arm and rubbed Akira’s side, hoping it might make him feel, or at least seem, less tightly wound.

“What’s the Master And Me Special?”

Akira’s ears twitched, and he hummed. “Cookies and ice cream in a cat dish.”

Yu frowned at the menu. “For that price?”

“It’s pretty big.” Akira placed his hand over Yu’s, his fingers filling the spaces between Yu’s, and pulled Yu’s arm tighter around him. “I’d eat it with you.”

“I don’t even get all of it?”

Akira lifted his head to look Yu in the eye. “We cats can’t use spoons, you know.”

Yu made a face and opened his mouth to argue that Akira was human, and had a perfectly good functioning set of hands, but Akira leaned in close, cutting him off.

“And with two of us eating from the same bowl, well...” Akira slid Yu’s hand down his hip and to the edge of his thigh, and brought their faces close enough to let Yu catch the mint still on his breath. “Accidents happen.”

As the weight of the word ‘accident’ sunk in, Yu pulled his arm back and rubbed his shoulder. Akira raised his eyebrows, but hid a smile behind his hand.

“Maybe you’re not ready for that yet, huh?”

Yu hesitated, wondering, if for only a moment, if that had been a challenge.

“Maybe not,” he said cautiously, then flipped the menu over to look at the other side, only to have Akira swipe it away from him.

“The other side is for frequent patrons only.”

Yu paused, brows pressed down and lips slightly parted as Akira handed him the menu back, front side up.

“I can't even look?”

Akira shook his head, the bell on his neck chiming with the motion. “Master, if you can't handle the Master And Me Special, you can't handle anything on the backside of the menu.”

Yu raised his eyebrows. “Who said I couldn’t handle it?”

Yu turned the menu over, holding it up so Akira couldn’t reach it.

“Uh, you did?” Akira said, his frustration starting to break through his act. He got on his knees on the seat of the booth, reaching over Yu for the menu, a hand on his shoulder to steady himself. Yu held it back further, straining his neck to look at it.

“Tipsy Parfait, huh?” Yu asked as Akira pushed himself to reach it.

“Master, please.” Akira straddled Yu’s leg, leaning his body against him in full, reaching, reaching...

...and falling.

Yu landed flat on his back, Akira sprawled out on top of him and menu dropped somewhere above his head. The cushion had saved him any pain, other than maybe his pride and his nose, but judging by Akira’s red-faced, glasses askew expression as he lifted his chest from Yu’s face, he thought perhaps it was Akira’s pride he should worry about.

“Sorry,” Yu said, somewhat awkwardly as Akira hovered over him. Yu reached up and straightened Akira’s glasses, and Akira offered him a small lopsided smile in return.

“Master,” Akira said, his smile turning into a weak laugh. “You jerk.”

All Yu could do in return was chuckle back, just as weakly, unable to argue. Akira crawled over him and picked up the menu. The smile slowly faded from Yu’s face as he watched the bell and the ribbon dangling from Akira’s collar pass over him, and then Akira’s bare cleavage after it. As Akira pulled back and settled himself, knelt over Yu’s leg, Yu pushed himself up, and Akira lightly tapped Yu over the head with the menu.

“So what is it?”

“What’s what, Master?”

“The Tipsy Parfait.”

Akira’s tail slid across Yu’s ankle.

“You’ll have to become a regular and order it to find out.”

Yu sat himself up proper, save for the leg trapped under Akira. “So how do I become a regular?”

Akira’s cat ears perked up, and he lifted his eyes from the menu. “Three visits in a row with the same host,” he said, lifting his tail up and letting it curl back and forth behind him. He lifted the menu to his face, so it hid all but his eyes and the mischievous glint in them. “Do you really wish to try the Tipsy Parfait that badly?”

Yu shrugged. “Just curious.”

Akira’s tail sank behind him. “Ah.”

“Can I have my leg back?”

“I can’t keep it?” Akira asked, setting the menu aside and bending over to hug the leg he sat on, as though it were part of the act, in spite of the pink glow of his face. Then, looking up at Yu, he pushed out his lower lip. “I think after the trouble Master put me through today, a leg isn’t too much to ask.”

Yu broke into a smile, and having his nerves eased, he ruffled Akira’s fluffy hair. “You can have it back after I get comfortable.”

As Yu scratched him, Akira lifted his head into Yu’s hand, and his whole body followed, letting Yu pull his leg out and put his foot back on the floor. He took his hand away, and just as Akira had started to sulk, he turned Akira around and pulled him into his lap.

“How’s that?”

“Better,” Akira admitted, though he was still frowning.

Yu plucked up the menu from where it’d been lodged between the cushions, this time looking at the correct side. “What would you recommend for a first timer, then?”

“Besides the alcohol?”

“I should probably have some food with it, yeah?”

“Maybe the Spawghetti?” Akira pointed to its photo on the menu.

“There a gimmick with that too?”

Akira leaned back into Yu’s arms and nuzzled up to him. “We can play with it, if you’d like.”

“Like yarn?”

“Yeah.” Akira nodded. “But some people are boring and just eat it.”

Yu bounced Akira on his leg.

“Don’t bad talk your other customers,” he said, too much smile in his voice to sound genuinely reproachful.

Akira whined halfheartedly into the crook of Yu’s neck. “It’s fine.”

“What if I tell them?”

“You won’t.”

“How do you know?”

Akira tapped Yu’s nose. “You paid for an hour alone with a cat boy. Are you really gonna go spreading that around?”

Yu’s smile faltered, but he supposed Akira was right.  
  
“Besides,” Akira continued. “I’d prefer that we keep the things we do here just between you and me, if that’s okay with you, Master.” He snuggled up closer to Yu, letting his tail loll over the side of Yu’s thigh. “Especially if you intend to keep requesting me.”

“You sound awfully confident.”

“Why shouldn’t I be? It’s been barely fifteen minutes since you were afraid to touch me, and now I’m in your lap.”

Yu’s face turned bright red, and he had to cough to find his voice again. “Why don’t you go get that spaghetti?”

Akira smirked and hopped to his feet. “Right away, Master. And your beverage?”

“Something strong,” Yu said, tugging his collar undone, not quite sure yet if he’d want to remember this night or not.

“Yes, Master.” Akira bowed before he left, bell jingling under his grin.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Back on my bullshit.
> 
> I'm not gonna pretend this isn't just self-indulgent catboy!Akira for the sake of catboy!Akira. It's loosely based off a beautiful piece of fan art a friend made (which I am hesitant to post here without their permission). But I hope this fic will do it justice and that other people can enjoy this too.
> 
> Fair warning: 99% chance this fic will eventually become explicit.


	2. The Second Meeting

For better or worse, Yu remembered everything.

On one hand, the drink and pasta had been better than he’d expected. Maybe there was something to that ‘magic’ spell Akira made them do together. And Akira, wow, Akira; he was really something. Playful, mischievous, clever, witty. Cute, but still dark and handsome. And exactly Yu’s type. He couldn’t have designed a better cat person himself. And the way Akira had teased him with that spaghetti, Yu couldn’t even be mad about the sauce that stained his shirt when Akira pulled away before what would’ve been a kiss. That cute face so close to his. Akira had snuggled up to him afterward too, whispering flirty little nothings into his ear. The memory of Akira’s breath falling on his skin sent Yu’s chest aflutter, and he found himself having to hide his flushed, grinning face behind his clipboard and reassure his team that there was nothing amusing about the blood-stained furniture they had to analyze.

On the other, though, Yu was fairly sure the liquid courage had made him a little too brave. Akira had taken it all in good stride, flirting right back. Of course he did, it was his job. But Akira was a real person behind that cat boy persona, and Yu’s memory of the pattern of Akira’s garters was more detailed than he cared to admit. Akira had said it was okay to ‘pet the cats,’ but…

 _I’ll have to go back_ , Yu decided.

_To apologize._

_Yeah. Definitely to apologize._

But somehow he’d ended up in another curtained off booth, sweating under Akira’s intense gaze while Akira made himself comfortable on his lap.

“My handsome master came back for me,” Akira said, slipping his arms around Yu’s neck. “Aren’t I a blessed kitten?”

Akira shifted himself in Yu’s lap. Yep, that got some blood rushing. Yu swallowed, and with a weak smile he answered, “...You sure are.”

“Master, you’re all tense again.” Akira pushed out his bottom lip a bit. “And after we made so much progress last time, too.”

“About that--” Yu started to say, until Akira shifted again, and Yu redirected his priorities to getting Akira out of his lap before the cat boy got a good idea of how endowed he was. Yu grabbed Akira by the waist and slid Akira over to the seat beside him. The result was having Akira’s legs in his lap instead of his ass. _Better_ , Yu supposed, but though his crotch was secured, he had no idea where to put his hands.

Akira had his legs pressed shut with balled up fists holding down the front of his skirt. “Something wrong, Master?”

Yu frowned at the slender stocking-clad legs before him. Somehow, nowhere seemed particularly safe to reach out to, and he eventually settled on picking up the heels of Akira’s shoes to relocate them to the floor. “I wanted to apologize.”

Akira broke character just long enough to raise an eyebrow.

“I got a little… adventurous, last time, so...” Yu took a deep breath that lifted his shoulders. “I’m sorry.”

“Oh?”

Yu gave Akira a short, confused glance, then continued, “Anyway, I won’t let it happen a--”

“Listen, Yu, was it?” The soft, playful quality of Akira’s usual tone was gone, like the maid had been possessed by an impatient mob boss. Yu’s neck nearly snapped with how fast he turned. Akira sat there, arms crossed, looking him over, no, sizing him up. His air of mischief had completely disappeared. “Not to ruin your little frail sex kitten maid fantasy, but you’re not so big and scary that I couldn’t take you down if I wanted to.”

“Uh...”

“The last guy that pressed his luck with me left with one less finger than he came with.”

Still processing Akira’s sudden change in demeanor, Yu’s brain found itself stuck between ‘ _Is that a threat?_ ’ and ‘ _Kitty’s got claws_ ’ but ultimately what came out of his mouth was: “...Alright.”

And despite how lamely he’d said it, as soon as his brain caught up with him and he realized Akira was probably carrying a blade on him somewhere under all that lace, he found himself grateful he’d kept the snark to himself. Grateful and, if he was honest, a little turned on.

“So… Is…” Akira shrunk a little, lowering his eyes and playing with the hem of his skirt. “Is that cool?”

“Y-yeah,” Yu said immediately, almost too fast, awkwardly stumbling over the word. “Absolutely.”

Akira perked up, ears first, and then the rest of his head. “Really?”

“Yeah,” Yu said again, with more confidence. A smile was slowly spreading over his face. “I’ll get a warning, right?”

A giggle bubbled up out of Akira, breaking through his nerves. “Of course, Master.”

“Thanks.”

Just as Yu’s wave of relief washed in, Akira’s hand made itself at home on the lower half of Yu’s inner thigh. “And you’ll extend that same courtesy to me as well, right, Master?”

Yu’s smile somehow grew both weaker and wider. “Sure.” A beat of silence, and then, his nerves opening the floodgates to his inner monologue, he added, “I don’t know if you could go too far, but sure.”

It didn’t take him long to regret letting that slip out. Hearing his own thoughts out loud, he finally realized just how much he must’ve seemed like some lonely, affection-starved otaku, showing up alone at a sleazy cat person maid cafe, and more than once at that. Yu kept his expression even, despite the heat climbing his face.

But Akira took it in stride, comfortably slipping back into his role. His finger began drawing lazy circles on Yu’s thigh. He leaned in with narrowed eyes and a playful grin. “Is that so?”

Pretty soon Akira was straddling him, lolling his tail between Yu’s knees, and Yu, well, he was looking up at this beautiful man silhouetted in the club lighting and sweating like they were in a church instead of a maid cafe.

“Say, Master?” Akira said, his act falling away again for something just as sultry, but far more smooth. “Have you ever done it before?”

Yu hesitated, wondering why exactly his host would need to know such a thing. He’d been told at the door he wasn’t allowed to do that here. But in the end, Akira’s intense eyes pulled the answer from him anyway. “Yes.”

“With a man?”

Yu swallowed. “No.”

Akira’s grin broke wide. “And yet you requested me?”

Yu matched his gaze with Akira’s. “I did.”

Akira drew his hands down Yu’s jaw. “You don’t regret it?”

Short on breath, Yu answered, “Not at all.”

There was barely inches between them. The air they shared was dense with electricity.

Akira leaned in and rest his forehead against Yu’s. He held Yu’s face in his hands. Yu let him as his own arms hung loosely to his sides and his hands curled on the seat.

“Master?” Akira blinked lazily, and Yu found himself zoning in on Akira’s thick eyelashes.

“Yeah?” Yu breathed.

“You haven’t ordered anything yet.”

Yu’s brows came together over a tired half smile. “I suppose I had that coming.”

Akira brought his head back and his hands from Yu’s face, following Yu’s neck down to his collar. He adjusted it with a small smile. “I’ll give you a second hour on me. No pun intended.”

Yu cast his gaze aside, but his smile grew. “You must really like me.”

“You’re the first client that didn’t walk out on me when I broke character.” Akira shrugged, then set himself to undoing the top button of Yu’s shirt. “And you’re easily the best smelling master I have.”

Yu’s smile faltered. “I, uh… I do my best?”

Akira laughed softly under his breath. “It’s not much of a compliment.” Akira turned himself around, grabbed the menu from the table, and made himself comfortable in Yu’s lap again. He handed the menu to Yu and once Yu accepted it, Akira nuzzled his face into the crook of Yu’s neck. “But if it’s okay with you, Master, I’d like to keep serving you for a while.”

Yu’s brain short-circuited, either from the heat of Akira’s body or from the heat from his own body rushing up to his face. In lieu of answering, he gingerly curled his arm around Akira’s waist and hooked his hand just above Akira’s hip.

“Mm,” Akira sighed softly. “Master...”

Yu wasn’t sure how exactly Akira expected him to focus on the menu with the mist of quiet sighs on his neck and the weight of a man on his crotch. He gave the menu a cursory glance, then bounced Akira on his lap. A mistake, he realized afterward. “I… might need another recommendation.”

Akira shifted in Yu’s lap again, and Yu’s face tightened.

“Is Master feeling generous today?”

Yu raised his eyebrows. “I’m definitely feeling something.”

Akira shifted yet again, and turned to Yu with an unmistakable smirk.

“You’re doing that on purpose, aren’t you?”

“You caught me,” Akira said, his face at an angle that made the reflection of the light on his lip gloss far too distracting. “Can you ever forgive me, Master?”

“Forgiven,” Yu said too quickly, with a tense and almost flat tone to it.

Akira’s smirk turned wry. “You don’t wanna punish me?”

“That’s quite alright.”

“Not even a little?”

“I’m good.”

Akira sat up, the bell around his neck chiming with the motion, and he gave Yu a once over. “I’m almost offended. Does my butt do nothing for you?”

“No, it… it certainly does things.” Yu looked down at the ribbon-adorned tail wafting over his chest and the bottom it was attached to. “But if you don’t mind sitting on a hill, then… I guess it’s not a problem.”

Akira fell back against Yu’s chest. “Master,” he said, meeting Yu’s eyes. “I think you make an excellent chair.”

With a small, sideways nod, Yu replied, “Thanks?”

Akira grinned up at him, then pointed to the drinks section of the menu. “First things first, Master needs to loosen up a little.”

Yu stared back at Akira.

Akira nudged him. “Hm?”

“You really are the one in control, huh?”

“Of course I am.” Akira’s grin was back.

Yu tapped Akira’s nose, then let out a small laugh at the way Akira’s face scrunched up afterward. “So what do you want me to order?”

“I was hoping after all the progress we made last time you might be willing to try the Master And Me Special.” Akira picked at Yu’s collar as his tail batted against the cushions. “But it seems we’ll have to start over from the beginning.”

Yu frowned a little. “Are you my maid or my therapist?”

“Either. Both. Whatever you prefer.”

Yu gave Akira a once over, then sighed in resignation. “Get me the Master And Me Special.”

Akira perked up, ears forward and eyes bright. “Really? Are you sure?” He paused, then shook his head and added somewhat clumsily, “...Master?”

A small instant of hesitation, and then, “...Yeah.”

Akira gave him a smile that was clearly, _purposely_ subdued compared to the rest of his features. “Exposure therapy. I like it.” He got up, taking the menu with him and heading toward the curtain.

“You break character a lot, don’t you?”

Akira halted just before the curtain, hand hovering over the hook that kept it closed.

“Oh, uh...” Yu turned away, rubbing his neck. “Sorry, I didn’t mean anything by it.”

Akira turned back, pushing his glasses up his flushed, glistening face. “It’s alright, Master. I’ve been a little out of my element tonight.”

Yu let out a tiny, nervous chuckle. “I can relate.”

Akira smiled back at Yu, then left, bells jingling with every click of his heels against the tile.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Anything can be a slow burn if you only update it once a year. BD;;
> 
> Anyway, here's more of... whatever this is.
> 
> Note regarding the beginning of this chapter: Yu works in forensics in this fic. Whether that'll actually become relevant is yet to be seen. :)


End file.
